


The Note

by phalanges mccoy (empresswrit)



Series: Atlantis One-Shots [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Episode: s03e17 Sunday, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Radek Zelenka [ mentioned ]
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 14:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5166680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/empresswrit/pseuds/phalanges%20mccoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney finds a note that could change him forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Note

“GO FISHING WITH CARSON,” the note had read. Rodney had been shocked when he saw it, but the worst bit was that it looked like his handwriting. He couldn’t, for the life of him, remember when he wrote the message. Perhaps he had been drunk when he wrote it. Perhaps not.

It wasn’t enough to change his mind, though.

In truth, the real reason Rodney McKay didn’t want to go fishing was clear. He had begun to develop feelings for Carson and, surely, he would have confessed those feelings on the Mainland. It wasn’t worth it. He had Katie and so he should be content - but why wasn’t he?

 

**-0-0-0-**

 

Someone was following him. They were making it obvious. The other’s footsteps practically gave them away. So when Rodney turned on his heel to rip his stalker down, he was surprised to see… well, himself.

“You’re an idiot,” Future Rodney said, hands jutting out to catch Present Rodney. He held his shoulders in place, keeping him against the wall. There was no way his present self was getting out of this.

“What are you referring to?” Present Rodney challenged, giving himself a good ol’ fashioned glare.

“You shouldn’t hang out with Katie. It won’t work out in the long run and you’re focused on someone else. You got my note and you blatantly disregarded it. You’re lucky I decided to stick around.” It might have been a violation of the laws of time to tell himself, but he felt the greatest law of all trumped his digressions. Love.

“How did you-” McKay was confused but intrigued. He was getting to himself.

“Rodney. Carson dies if you don’t go fishing with him. He’ll die. He’ll blow up. He won’t exist anymore.”

The imagery of ashes flashed in Rodney’s mind and he whimpered, the air practically knocked out of him. His future self held him up for support.

“Shh, shh.”

Tears threatened his cold facade as his voice broke, “You can’t honestly be telling me-”

Future Rodney’s voice cut through the air, “In my reality, he’s gone. Sure, we find a Clone, but it’s never the same. You’ll beat yourself up over this. You’ll rip yourself into shreds.”

Present McKay gave a huff, “Stop interrupting me-”

However… Future McKay wasn’t going to take any of his shit. Not when Carson Beckett was on the line.

“No. You listen to me. You love him. I know you do. So do yourself a favor and cancel with Katie, because I didn’t. I lost out on something great because of that day. It was my fault.”

Rodney’s knees felt weak and he slumped against the wall for the second time. A life without Carson didn’t seem like a life at all. And it was true, he did love him.

McKay moved to say something, but the pressure on his shoulders let up.

And when he looked up, the other Rodney was gone.

 

**-0-0-0-**

 

When he found Carson in the mess hall, the Scott had been looking desolate.

“Do you still wanna hang with Katie instead, lad?”

Rodney broke into a small half smile, shaking his head back and forth.

“Her and I talked. We decided it was best not to pursue anything. Especially with what happened with Cadman.” He didn’t dare say that he had spent a good while telling Katie that he wasn’t interested because he liked Carson. Nope.

“Oh.” Carson was quiet, his features a mask of understanding. A smile flitted onto his lips and Rodney found himself staring. Those blue eyes were pools that McKay wanted to drown in. He never wanted to come up for air.

“Can I count on you to cast with me?” And there was the question, aching in the center of Rodney’s chest.

“You can always count on me, Mr. Witch Doctor.”

The smile that Carson gave him could have shattered diamonds.

 

**-0-0-0-**

 

The flight to the Mainland had been nice, and Rodney found himself a little more nervous than normal. He squirmed so much that he was sure he was going to have a hypoglycemic reaction. Would he tell him? Could he find it in himself to tell Beckett? More importantly, though- was how would Carson respond? Would he reciprocate those feelings? Or would he deny them? Was this trip worth it?

“You’ve been quiet, Rodney,” Carson said, eyes on piloting the puddle jumper.

“Sorry. Just thinking over what Katie said.” It was only a half lie. The words she had said to him had stung beyond measure.

“I’m sorry to hear that you two are finished. Maybe some fishing will get her off of your mind.”

“I hope so,” Rodney thought, “and maybe you’ll replace her.”

 

**-0-0-0-**

 

They had been sitting beside the lake for a good few hours before they caught a fish that resembled a trout. It was bright purple and smelled more like a cow, but it was a fish nonetheless. Carson had been the one to reel it in.

The look on his face, the pure ecstatic joy, it made Rodney wonder why he had almost missed this. How this had almost been taken from him.

As Beckett leaned close, Rodney let his touch linger a bit longer, allowed himself to be glad that the person he loved had lived.

The best part, though, was that Carson knew Rodney loved him. It was almost like Fate had brought them together. It had stitched them to their destinies, and in that destiny, they were tied together.

So when Carson came back to Atlantis with Rodney in tow and found out about the explosive tumor, he nearly broke down. He broke down more, though, when Rodney came to visit him in his quarters.

“Dr. Lincoln was brave,” McKay whispered, reaching out for Carson and pulling him into a hug. He tucked the other’s head under his chin, letting Beckett cry as much as he wanted to without judgements.

That’s what Atlantis did to people – it broke them down.

“She was a spitfire, that lass. If you hadn’t have–”

Carson shook, a ripple moving through both of them. Rodney was quiet, form pulling away from Beckett. His fingers tilted the Scott’s head up so they could meet each other’s eyes.

“I got a note today,” he said, and Carson nearly wanted to scream.

“What does that bloody have to do with–”

“It was about going fishing with you. I had to go fishing with you, or you’d die. I would lose you and I–”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Rodney gave a sigh. He had said a little too much. The air was full of tension.

“Did you go pity fishing with me?”

McKay froze, heart threatening to snap in two. He had never heard Carson sound so lost, so upset. Did Beckett honestly think that?

“No,” Rodney replied, “It was more than that.”

That caused Beckett to raise a brow, “What are you-”

“I love you.” As soon as the words had slipped from his lips, Rodney cringed and his shoulders slumped, “I couldn’t lose you.”

Everything seemed to hang on those few words he had uttered, and McKay wanted to run away, to fight the fact he said his feelings out loud.

But then he felt fingers running along his cheek and things began to look up.

“Rodney, you git,” Carson said, “I was wondering when you were gonna notice.”

McKay’s form visibly was relieved and he let himself gaze into Carson’s eyes. Those beautiful pools of blue…

“I’m not that good with my feelings,” he replied, “I’m actually pretty oblivious in that regard–”

He was cut off by a pair of lips on his own, and the world turned on its side.

When he pulled back, Carson’s voice was right in his ear, “Rodney. Shut up for a moment, will you?”

All McKay could do was offer a smile as Carson moved to wrap his arms around the other.

 

**-0-0-0-**

 

Three weeks later.

“You don’t believe death is gonna come for me again, do you?” Carson asked, feet dangling off the pier.

Rodney snorted, settling behind Beckett with a laugh leaving his lips, “Real life isn’t Final Destination. I’m sure death can speak to me when it wants to take you away. I’ll haggle for a good deal, don’t you worry.”

He tightened his grip on Carson and stared back out at the sea. Somewhere where the stars were different, his alternate self was sitting in a lab alone. He would never have known how this felt. Thank God he went fishing.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you loved this. I just liked the idea of an Alternate Rodney going back to tell himself about what happens. My fix for Sunday.


End file.
